How far do these sources suggest that young Henry VIII was an impressive figure as a king?
In the 16th century an impressive figure of a king would mean that he demonstrated power both physically and economically and a good education. However as source two suggests, Henry might be considered less than impressive as he shows insecurities. A stronger argument though is that Henry did demonstrate the features of an impressive king as he had all the attributes listed above which is clear from all three sources.

It might be inferred that Henry was less than impressive as he was clearly insecure. Source two shows Henry seeking to compare favourability with his rival king Francis I of France. He persistently asks the Venetian ambassador …show more content…

This shows that he is physically impressive, a characteristic of an impressive warrior king. We can rely on this source as it was taken directly from the Venetian ambassador’s report to his government. We can also infer from source three that Henry is physically impressive as the portrait shows a large man with broad shoulders. This agrees with source two and therefore supports the strongest argument that Henry was an impressive figure as king. However this portrait is by an unknown artist therefore it is very unreliable. It is also highly likely that Henry has paid the artist to make him look like an impressive warrior king. The argument that Henry was an impressive warrior king is also strengthened by source one. We can infer from source one that he had characteristics of a warrior because it tells us of how he was practicing with his guards at archery. Not only was he practicing with them, he also beat them as he hit the mark in the middle. We can rely on this source as it is taken as an extract from a personal diary written by the king’s Chaplin.

The strongest argument suggests that henry was an impressive figure as king. This can be inferred from all three sources. Source one implies that Henry is an impressive figure as king as he is superior to all of his guards as he beats them at archery, hitting “the mark in the middle”. We can also infer from source one that he has power over everyone